BNS 326 — Mischief by injury, inundation, fire or explosive substance, etc.

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Statutory text

326. Whoever commits mischief by,
(a) doing any act which causes, or which he knows to be likely
to  cause,  a  diminution  of  the  supply  of  water  for  agricultural
purposes, or for food or drink for human beings or for animals which
are property, or for cleanliness or for carrying on any manufacture,
shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term
which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both;

(b) doing any act which renders or which he knows to be likely
to  render  any  public  road,  bridge,  navigable  river  or  navigable
channel, natural or artificial, impassable or less safe for travelling or
conveying  property,  shall  be  punished  with  imprisonment  of  either
description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine,
or with both;
(c) doing any act which causes or which he knows to be likely
to  cause  an  inundation  or  an  obstruction  to  any  public  drainage
attended with injury or damage, shall be punished with imprisonment
of either description for a term which  may extend  to five  years, or
with fine, or with both;
(d) destroying or moving any sign or signal used for navigation
of rail, aircraft or ship or other thing placed as a guide for navigators,
or by any act which renders any such sign or signal less useful as a
guide for navigators, shall be punished with imprisonment of either
description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine,
or with both;
(e) destroying or moving any land-mark fixed by the authority
of a public servant, or by any act which renders such land-mark less
useful  as  such,  shall  be  punished  with  imprisonment  of  either
description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or
with both;
(f)  fire  or  any  explosive  substance  intending  to  cause,  or
knowing  it  to  be  likely  that  he  will  thereby  cause,  damage  to  any
property  including  agricultural  produce,  shall  be  punished  with
imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to
seven years, and shall also be liable to fine;
(g)  fire  or  any  explosive  substance,  intending  to  cause,  or
knowing it to be likely that he will thereby cause, the destruction of
any  building  which  is  ordinarily  used  as  a  place  of  worship  or  as  a
human  dwelling  or  as  a  place  for  the  custody  of  property,  shall  be
punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either
description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also
be liable to fine.
Mischief  with  intent  to  destroy  or  make  unsafe  a  rail,  aircraft,
decked vessel or one of twenty tons burden.
327.(1) Whoever commits mischief to any rail, aircraft, or a decked
vessel or any vessel of a burden of twenty tons or upwards, intending to
destroy  or  render  unsafe,  or  knowing  it  to  be  likely  that  he  will  thereby
destroy or render unsafe, that rail, aircraft or vessel, shall be punished with

imprisonment  of  either  description  for  a  term  which  may  extend  to  ten
years, and shall also be liable to fine.
(2) Whoever commits, or attempts to commit, by fire or any explosive
substance,  such  mischief  as  is  described  in  sub-section  (1),  shall  be
punished  with  imprisonment  for  life  or  with  imprisonment  of  either
description  for  a  term  which  may  extend  to  ten  years,  and  shall  also  be
liable to fine.
Punishment for intentionally running vessel aground or ashore with
intent to commit theft, etc.

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